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Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Its been the most incredibly busy week. Its also been some time since my last post and I have been trying to get this recipe out on the blog for the last 4 days!! Anyway, I guess its better late than never. This is a deliciously nutritious recipe for whole green lentils with kale. You can enjoy this quite simply in a soup form or with rice.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Cabbage is an extremely versatile vegetable. When cooked correctly, it can hold its own to pretty much any other vegetable. This of course means - no boiling cabbage. I had read about boiled cabbage in so many English books but could never actually fathom how the vegetable could be eaten in this form. In my humble opinion, cabbage is not a vegetable that takes kindly to being boiled. It tends to wilt in the most unsavoury fashion and acquires the most unappetizing grey pallor!! To make matters it tastes pretty much like nothing on earth, a fact that I discovered in person when attending a conference in Northern England not too many years ago! Needless to say the experience confirmed my belief that soggy cabbage is inedible, but it did not dent my love of this vegetable.

Whenever I do a grocery round, I make a point to buy a nice head of cabbage, but I always try and make a different recipe with it. As cabbage is pretty much generic to cuisines across the world. especially India, this is not at all a difficult task. Today I am sharing a recipe that I have wanted to share for a long long time. It is Bandhkopir Charchari, a Bengali classic!! A simple and delicious vegetable to accompany Indian flatbreads, particularly the sinfully deep fried pooris!!

Sunday, April 21, 2013

In March I announced the first ever giveaway hosted at Annarasa ~ Essence of Food. This food event and giveaway ended on the 20th of April 2013 and I will announce the winners of the giveaway in the coming weeks. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every contributor and participant for taking the time to make this event a wonderful success. Over seventy unique recipes have been shared through this event by bloggers and non-bloggers alike.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

While oats always means milky sweet porridge to me, it was never quite as tasty as when made savoury!! I have been using oats to make savoury treats for quite some time now. Initially I saw skeptical looks around me when I announced something like Oats Poha, Oats Upma, Oats Pongal for brunch!! But one bite and I had converts all around me:) Now I get requests for Oats Kichiri and Pongal all the time!!

Monday, April 15, 2013

Simple gravies that go well with flat breads and rice are a staple of the Indian kitchen. I love cooking with beans and use a great variation of gravies to curry them Sometimes its just being creative with whatever is on hand. Sometimes its a pre-planned project complete with roasting spices, grinding, frying, and then boiling the beans in the said curry.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Green beans are a staple in my home! I purchase organic green beans at a local store and now that we are in spring we are getting wonderfully tender beans. I usually make green beans in one of the many ways my Mum cooks them. But I do experiment with them a lot and you will see a good number of green bean recipes on this blog.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Our weekend was hectic but good. As it was a warm Saturday with milder breeze from the south and west and we were able to spend most of it out of doors. Sunday was so sunny but marked the return of the chilly north winds and so we stuck it out at home. We are in the midst of an unpredictable stretch of spring, complete with sunshine, thunderstorms, monsoon like showers, and snow - yes snow!!

Friday, April 5, 2013

If you are looking for a quick whole meal there is nothing like kichidi (kedgree) or pongal (porridge)!! Both are very similar savoury complete meals that combine and cook together lentils and rice often with a medley of vegetables and spices. When I was growing up, kichidi was a favourite meal at least once a week. Pongal is something I was introduced in my college days over shared tiffins!!

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Its spring finally!! By that I mean we are getting consistent sunshine and little precipitation. This has allowed the mountains of snow outdoors to melt. Everywhere I look there are tiny rivulets of water snaking their way down to the nearest water body. Good news for the underground aquifers and the groundwater supplies!!